Homestead Baby Registry

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As someone having a baby on a homestead and also wanting a non-toxic lifestyle, I put a lot of thought into my baby registry. There is a constant battle of trying to find simplicity, cost control, and also lead a non-toxic lifestyle. If you’ve tried to balance all three of those, you’ll find it’s really difficult. Often, the non-toxic items are more expensive than other versions. Non-toxic items also tend to feel a bit more extravagant than some of the more basic versions too. So, how do you balance it all? Well, you do the very best you can. In an effort to make it a little easier, I’m summing up my homestead baby registry for you so it’s all here in one spot.

Crib

When I researched cribs, the Babyletto and the Davinci cribs were the most popular for those that are non-toxic. Of course there are more options but I found that they were only available at specialty stores and/or way out of my price range. The crib is an easy way to spend a ton of unnecessary money. When I was looking through them I found so many beautiful and ornate cribs that I loved. However, knowing my goals and the lifestyle that we live I knew that wasn’t really practical for our home. I ended up finding a very affordable, simple crib that will be absolutely perfect for us. 

I know that cribs can be controversial on the homestead because a lot of moms promote co-sleeping. Is it 100% necessary? Probably not, especially if you plan on co-sleeping. This is our first baby so I don’t have a plan for sleeping. Maybe the baby will sleep with us, maybe they won’t. Make the best decision for your family!

Also, this is one item where I just couldn’t go with a thrifted or second hand option. All of them that I found had teeth marks in them or came as a full bedroom set, neither of which I wanted. 

Crib Mattress

The crib mattress is one of those items where I couldn’t really get around the cost. Instead, I just waited for it to go on sale! Thankfully we were pregnant over memorial day and they had a big sale so I grabbed it as cheap as possible. Always watch for holiday and/or seasonal sales!

The mattress we went with is the Newton crib mattress. The reason for this is because it’s the most breathable one on the market. In an effort to be cautious and make sure the baby is as safe as possible, it was worth the investment for us. Plus, you can unzip the cover and wash it off, which is fantastic knowing that there will definitely be accidents that occur.

Bassinet

I feel like a lot of this list is going to be dependent on how you want to raise your baby. So I’ll preface this by saying, if you want a bassinet- the halo is the way to go. It ranked the best as a non-toxic option but was higher on the price scale as well. 

To be completely honest, we had a family member give us their bassinet so we didn’t end up buying one. They are in this for a much shorter time than the crib which made me feel fine with using one. Plus, now days, so many things are made to be washed. I could unzip the whole thing and wash it in some non-toxic detergent which was also great. 

Crib Sheets, Bassinet Sheets, Changing Pad Covers, & Blankets

Baby is going to spend a lot of time sleeping, so I put an emphasis on making sure these were quality. Initially, I wanted to make a bunch of these but I needed to adjust my expectations. Thankfully, there are a lot of brands out there that are okeo-tex certified or organic so there’s a big range of price to choose from. Muslin is another good option for sheets because it is breathable and tends to be less toxic as well. Majority of what we got was Burt’s Bees because they have really good sales and hit in the middle on the price comparison.

For reference here are my top non-toxic and more affordable brands- Burt’s Bees, Honest, and Cloud Island (this is a Target brand). 

Swing

Looking at swings, there was really only one option that came back time and time again- the 4Moms Mamaroo. 4Moms is known to be a lower toxin brand so I genuinely think that you’d be good with all of their products. However, they do land on the more expensive side as well. There are a couple different models to choose from. I picked the base model because we don’t need all those fancy settings and it saved us a bunch in cost as well. This is another item that I waited for a holiday sale to buy.

Dresser and/or Changing Table

Out of all the things on the list this is the one where I’m going to recommend you go for a used one. First of all, if you’re just getting a changing table it’s only applicable to baby up to a certain weight. Don’t spend a ton of time and money on something that will only be used for a very limited time.

Or, if you choose to go with a dresser, you’ll want something sturdy. Have you seen how things are made these days? Go buy an old wood dresser and spruce it up! Ours cost us $10 at an estate sale plus about $20 in materials to fix it up. I definitely can’t buy anything new for that price. 

Diapers

Whew, anyone want to get in a mess of  a debate on the interweb? Start talking about diapers and which ones are the best. In the middle of my pregnancy one of the more popular brands also had a change in their manufacturing too, which sent everyone into an uproar.

For diapers, I wanted to balance them being non-toxic, affordable, and accessible. It was important to me that I be able to grab them at the store just as easily as I’m able to order them online. I also didn’t want to have to run to a store like Target or Costco, which aren’t close to my house at all. We have Walmarts and Meijers by us, so it was something that needed to be available there. For these reasons, I decided to go with Honest brand diapers and wipes. They hit in the middle for being non-toxic, in the middle for affordability, and are available locally. Plus, they have the cutest prints ever which really isn’t important but makes it more fun.

Diaper Update:

When I originally bought the Honest diapers, they were ECF (completely chlorine free). However, they changed their manufacturing process about 5 months after our girl was born so I no longer recommend them. We are still working through our stash of the old kind but when I switch to a new non-toxic brand I’ll be sure to share what it ends up being!

Bottles

The goal of most moms is to breastfeed but eventually the baby will typically need bottles even just to transition away from breastmilk after a certain amount of time. Glass is definitely going to be the most non-toxic option here and there are several brands you can choose from within that space. 

I went with the basic evenflo bottles. Simple and fairly cheap. The other good option that I’ve seen is the mason jar bottles but I’ve also heard that they can get rusty because you still use the metal rings. Lots to choose from depending on what you want to spend!

Toddler Cups, Spoons, Plates

The best brand for these is the re-play plastic brand. It’s endorsed by Just Ingredients Karalynn Call, which makes it an A in my book. They have bowls, plates, spoons, etc. Another good option for this category is silicone. You won’t be using these at high heat levels for food so any sort of silicone should be very non-toxic and safe in this situation as well.

Baby Carriers

One of the most important items on the homestead baby registry because, let’s face it, we’ve all got stuff to do! I’m going to refrain from making my recommendation at this time because I want to use the carriers I got first to see how I like them. 

The one thing I do know here is that you want the baby’s legs to sit widely. Basically, they shouldn’t just be dangling down below but rather, pushed out wide. This will help make sure their hips develop correctly.

Baby Seat

The last thing I’ll discuss is a baby seat. Now, you won’t need this right away but it becomes a VERY helpful tool. I love setting up baby in the kitchen so that she can “help” me cook a meal or can something. I like multiple versions of these so I’m going to share all of them.

First, the Skip Hop sit me up chair. This one is great because it has a little tray for eating a snack but it also has some toys that keep them occupied for a little bit. It’s a little hard to get babies in and out of on the counter but easy enough to move.

Second, the Boppy. The Boppy is advertised as a breastfeeding pillow which I didn’t love for that function. A regular old pillow works just fine (or better in my opinion). I do love it for sitting baby up though. She’ll sit on the couch while I vacuum or on the floor to play with her toys. It forces her to do more of the work with her core so we use it for shorter periods but it’s nice while she’s learning.

Third, the Bumbo. You could probably get away with either the Skip Hop chair or the Bumbo but I honestly like them both. The Bumbo is so easy to get kids in and out of and works pretty good for feeding them if you are in a hurry too or on the go and don’t have a high chair.

In Summary: Homestead Baby Registry

I’m honestly probably forgetting some things on this list but it should have the main components. I think the most important thing is that there is a lot you don’t need. People get wrapped up buying all this stuff and probably don’t use half of it. Plus, they get caught up in everything looking pretty vs. being more practical. That’s definitely not to say you can’t add those things either! If that’s what you want to do, go for it! I just know on our homestead we try to save money, lower toxins, and keep things fairly minimalistic so it doesn’t get chaotic.